Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-06-06
Child Widows in India

The Telegram announcing Lord Duncr-
in's decision regarding Hindoo marriages
receives emphasis from the outbursts
of northern India. The decision ar-
rived at h characteristic alike 81 Che
statesman who now presides over India
aud OF the new point OF view from which
the Indian government regards questions
of internal reform. Lord Duhern uN-
presses genuine sympathy for the party
! of progress, 3ut he does not allow his
sympathy TO blind him az 10 the grave
political difficulties OF the case. There
are are over p, ,OOO. 900 ofwidows in ludlH
and 600 600 OF them belong % castles
who practice child-marriage and insist on
the celibacy OF their widows. These
customs are not enforced with equal
| rigor IN all parts OF India nor among all
the castes who follow them But, broad.
| ~ speaking, there are about 2 .00O 600 ln-
dian woman OF good family who are CON
demned 10 life OF peuancc or Of shame.
This, however, h IA very mild statement
/ OF the case for Il must be- remembered that
! the cruelty Of enforced widowhood iu
/ India is aggravated by the circumstance
! that a vast number of widows have only
been wives la name. In Bengal 21l Hin
doc girls out Of every 900 between the
/ ages Of five and ten are married, aud no
i fewer than GGG are returned az married
/ between the ages Of ten and fourteen.
1 This applies To the general HindoO pop
ulation. But among the higher castles,
who enforce the cclibacy Of their widows,
the proportion Is much higher Prncti-
cally every Hindoo girl Of good caste Is
4 either a wife or widow before she reaches
the age OF fourteen. In thousands, In
/ deed In hundreds OF thousands Of cases,
/ the child has never known what 10 u %
l be wife. IL Is essential for the honor
/ of a Hindoo family OF good caste
that Il should contain no unmarried
daughter OF mature years. The existence
OF such daughter is not only social
disgrace but "A religion. crime. When,
therefore, female infant b. born the
first idea Ia her fathers mind is not one
Of pleasure, nor perhaps, regret, but
simply how 10 find husband for her
II II not necessary that she should be-
come wife IN our sense az the word.
II sufiices that she should be- given in
marriage and 40 through the ceremony
Of the Seven Steps, which completes the
religious rite. Aged Brahmins ~ good
family still 20 about the country marry
ing, for pecuuinry consideration. ie-
male infants, whom they sometimes ueys
er see again. within tho memory ~ men
still living this abominable practice was
a nourishing trade. A kulin Brahman,
+ perhaps white haired, half blind aud de-
crepit, went the round Of his beat every
+ spring, going through Che ceremony ~
I marriage with such female infants uH
were offered, aud pocketiug his fee. mud
I perhaps never returned % the chili'r
\ house. So long az he lived rbr could
marry no other man when De- died she
+ became a widow Tor life The Hiud0o
+ child-widow j. looked upon ns thing
apart aud accursed, bearing che penalty
T in this world for the sins which she hhH
+ committed iu u past existence. Her hair
. H. cut short or her head shaved altogether
F she exchanges her pretty CHILDISH CLOTHES
i for the widows coarse aud often squalld
garment she j. forbidden ~ take part
y 10 any festival OF family gathering ths
very sight Of her q regarded ns nn u
omen. Her natural worru.s Instincts
are starved Into lnanition DY constant
fasts. sometimes prolonged ~ seven ~.
two hours Amid the genial aud brightly
colored Hfe 81 the nindoo family she nits
about. disarrayed. silent. -buuned dis-
figured IN some parts ~ lndla hldeous.
ly bald object -fsrblddeu ai' lof aud
an hope 49, Loa,i1a Itmfs.